Bankbeater

Unless you are trying for casting distance, I would get the shorter rod.

Just because it's not doing it now, doesn't mean it won't in the near future. Get it fixed.

Abu 5600C3. It is the reel I use for punching, but it works with frogs also.

I have a Team Daiwa-V, and a Daiwa Procaster. Both are H/F, and both were purchased back in the mid 90's. I still use the Procaster to punch mats.

This works when the bass are buried in the tops of weed mats on the surface. I will run a buzz bait right alongside the mat to draw them out and then cast a pop-r out and bring it back alongside the mat. Most of the time the bass will go after the pop-r as it is passing the mat.

It probably looks like a small animal or fish swimming on the surface. Buzzbaits are very quickly turning into my top topwater bait this year, and I'm not going to jinx it by overthinking why.

Watermelon candy, motor oil, and a flat red.

Most of the time I will be dragging or giving the jig short hops. I will stroke the jig if I have some open water.

Johnson Century 100A. I still have the reel and the kid rod it used to be on.

My treble crankbait hooks get sharpened over the winter. They get touched up as needed throughout the season. I run a file over the worm hooks and jigs before tying them on. Sometimes if the bite is slow and light that sharp hook is what will save the day.

I was bass fishing a pond on Saturday that is about 2/3 of the way matted over with vegetation. I was casting a buzz bait out and when I would get it near a mat I would get hit but no hookup. After about 10 minutes of playing around, I cast out a pop-r and landed this crappie. Over the next half hour, I got 3 more that were all around 12" in length. I knew there was some crappie in this pond, but I didn't think they were this large. I'm definitely going back out to this pond in the fall when that vegetation dies off.

These days I fish by myself, but back before my dad passed we never missed a chance to get out and wet a line. I've gone fishing with some friends and co-workers, but they just didn't seem motivated to get out after the fish. Seems like they would always just like to sit back and relax or enjoy the boat ride to the fishing spot.

I've been using these for a few years now.

Zoom Fat Albert. Try and match the trailer to the skirt.

Try and wear light colored clothing if possible. That way you can see the little buggers when they are crawling on you and pull them off before they find a way to the skin.

This time of year I'll probably be fishing with a big topwater bait or pitching a jig early in the morning, but when the sun gets up high enough I will be switching over to spinning gear.

If I'm just going by the number of fish caught and nothing else, then a good day of fishing locally would be putting around 6 bass in the boat.

Nope, too much money involved.

A couple of times this year I have found ticks crawling around on my tackle bag after I have picked it back up. The only thing I can think of is that my scent is on the bag. I've also gotten them while fishing out of a boat near the bank. I could never figure out how that was happening until someone told me that they can drop down out of the trees.

If you're getting heat stroke or heat exhaustion, you may not have all of the symptoms. Many years ago I was cutting grass in 93 degree heat, and I noticed that I wasn't sweating. Other than that I felt fine. When a breeze made me feel cold, I turned the mower off and went inside.

Years ago I didn't like to fish in the rain. Then I realized that the fish bite better, and most of the time I have the water to myself.

Some great people on this site and enough info to fill volumes.

I use an mh/f St. Croix Premier for all jigs up to 1/2 ounce. Around here the bass usually choke a swim jig when they are serious about eating it. If the bass you are catching are barely hooked then it may be more about the attitude of the bass and not your rod.

It depends on what I am snagged on, and how much that area has already been disturbed.

When you feel that bite set the hook immediately, don't let the bass swim with it. When I'm fishing off of the bank and I have enough room behind me I will start backing up while I'm reeling to get that bass to shore even faster. I don't like to give them a chance to think about what is going on.